A solution for fixing Arsenal PVPers without Making PVE OP

[Phasersablaze]

Arsenal Mercs started out as a superb burst DPS class. Personally, I think thats exactly what the arsenal spec is supposed to be about, but I can understand the problem it posed in PVP: a high burst dps class can seem OP in 1v1 fights.

 

We have gone though several patches and essentially what has happened is an evening out of our dps. Instead of powerful spike damage coming from Heatseeker, our strongest ability has been toned down in favor of buffing (and also fixing) Unload. For me personally, this has made the class unfun to play. For me at least, the fun in caster dps is the big crits, not a bunch of blah. Mele dps hitting 8k crits on players is fun for them. Pyro PTs taking healers down in seconds is fun. Playing a dps Merc is not fun.

 

Anyways, the point is Bioware is at a dilemma of sorts. If they buff our burst damage too much in PVP we will certainly become OP in PVE. (We are already quite strong in that area) I still do think Heatseeker need tweaking, but I also have another idea that I think will be a 100% turnaround in PVP without affacting PVE dps at all. Ready?

 

Put Hydraulic Overides into the Arsenal spec tree. (Its the PT ability in the AP spec tree. 30 sec cooldown, immunity to knockdowns and interrupts, plus 30% run speed for 8 seconds. You see, the problem isn't that we don't have the capability to dos...we can...but we always get shut down. Hydraulic Overides would fix that problem as well as giving us more survivability to get away in sticky situations.

 

If you observe the Pyrotech trees for PT and Mec they are almost identical. This is not an outrageous request to give the arsenal spec something from advanced proto.

 

I don't usually come on the forums, but I have the situation has gotten so bad I feel the need to. I play a Campaign Geared Mercenary (full set of WH gear a s well)and I also PVP a lot (lvl92 Valor atm). I relly think this change would make playing my Merc fun again.

[Zatachi]

We need to just go back to how we originally were. A burst DPS class, while not taking away the fun from playing a PT so that we you can appease both AC's (since we can't change them). It's either that, or give us equal utility to everyone else.

 

And I think all the Merc crying came from sentinels. They get buffed and we get trashed with a nerf.

[Phasersablaze]

We need to just go back to how we originally were. A burst DPS class, while not taking away the fun from playing a PT so that we you can appease both AC's (since we can't change them). It's either that, or give us equal utility to everyone else.

 

And I think all the Merc crying came from sentinels. They get buffed and we get trashed with a nerf.

 

Sure, but if went back to how we originally were the exact same QQs would happen and the cycle would start over. That's why I suggest something different.

 

Merc don't have a problem DPSing...if they get left alone. I have done plenty of high 600k voidstars post 1.3. The problem is those teams were all terrible. When facing a good team I just get shut down by marauders right and left. I can't stop one bit of their dps, but they completely shut me down. That's the issue here. Hydraulic overides would not only give us an escape route, it would allow us to dps uninterrupted for 8 seconds. I think it would be a huge step toward fixing our class.

[Zatachi]

Either that or give us more run n' gun to kite with.

 

At the same time though, what do they have to cry over? They got their DPS fix albeit trashing ours in return.

But that's how it normally seems to play out in the Star Wars community fandom. Force Users always have to be out on top because they're force users. Where as Mandalorians can just faceroll them just as easily in the lore.

Edited July 28, 2012 by Zatachi

[Soljin]

The whole thing is getting beat to death and BW hasnt graced any of these threads with a single comment...None of the Merc questions get fielded in the Q&A.....BW seems to be on a communication black out across the board on this.

 

Merc was NEVER a strong 1v1 class....You did have a chance to kill someone if you used smart CC, and shield was up sure...But melee classes were still a major headache to beat.

 

Now its a why bother kinda scenario IMO. Melee eat you alive, non melee can interupt you, and you cant return the favor...Smart Sorcs will just DoT los/kite you because they have better tools for it then you do...I just dont know what to say anymore...Merc is just inferior.......

[Baarabas]

The whole thing is getting beat to death and BW hasnt graced any of these threads with a single comment...None of the Merc questions get fielded in the Q&A.....BW seems to be on a communication black out across the board on this.

 

Merc was NEVER a strong 1v1 class....You did have a chance to kill someone if you used smart CC, and shield was up sure...But melee classes were still a major headache to beat.

 

Now its a why bother kinda scenario IMO. Melee eat you alive, non melee can interupt you, and you cant return the favor...Smart Sorcs will just DoT los/kite you because they have better tools for it then you do...I just dont know what to say anymore...Merc is just inferior.......

 

^^ Nuff said.

Edited August 2, 2012 by Baarabas

[mulzii]

to start, they need to make tracer missile instant or if not instant, make a skill in arsenal that applies full debuff stack in one hit. No other class that relies on debuffs has a channeling debuff. Think TA with agents, fire for pt's (through fb), juggs debuffs for rage-free scream/chill,etc. Those all have instant debuffs to let the class dps more smoothly and more importantly, kite/move. Wouldnt mind seeing a cc attached to tracer either.

 

They could make mercs stand apart by giving them an extra cc breaker on a low cooldown. Just make it featable in a tree that the PT's can get so not to disturb balance.

 

Its almost like they wanted tracer to be like ravage in terms of damage. But ravage doesnt apply a main debuff for juggs.

[Soljin]

to start, they need to make tracer missile instant or if not instant, make a skill in arsenal that applies full debuff stack in one hit. No other class that relies on debuffs has a channeling debuff. Think TA with agents, fire for pt's (through fb), juggs debuffs for rage-free scream/chill,etc. Those all have instant debuffs to let the class dps more smoothly and more importantly, kite/move. Wouldnt mind seeing a cc attached to tracer either.

 

They could make mercs stand apart by giving them an extra cc breaker on a low cooldown. Just make it featable in a tree that the PT's can get so not to disturb balance.

 

Its almost like they wanted tracer to be like ravage in terms of damage. But ravage doesnt apply a main debuff for juggs.

 

Well I was going to say that its more comparable to Jugg's Sunder armor which applies 1 if talented 2 stacks per application.....But then I came back to the core problem with Merc Arsenal.... Tracer applies EVERYTHING key to that spec...Two dmg procs (Unload, Rail shot) One type of Armor reduction, and our dmg mitigation buff....All from one ability that is interuptable.....

 

When it comes down to it the entire Arsenal spec is shut down by one ability every class has (Interupt)...Its terrible design period!

 

They need to make Tracer Missle/ Power shot instant with a 2 sec cooldown... This makes Arsenal and Pyro more mobile and able to get their procs up. This does not increase DPS at all because its the same amount of TM's/PS per minute and does nothing at all to increase burst...All it does is stop every class in the game from shutting Mercs down with the one ability Mercs were never given (Interupt) YET for some reason every other class has.

 

I was suggesting all types of changes for awhile now Im stuck on this...Make TM/PS instant 2 sec CD, and give Merc an interupt....Its simple and fixes Arsenal, not to mention it brings Merc Pyro closer to Pyro PT but still not as OP as PT/Pyro.

 

This is the answer IMO.